"It's like watching the David Cup!" These profound words were spoken by TheCup's own Jeff Wells during the Olympic Women's Cycling recap. And hewasn't kidding. The map was laid out, the competitors lined up then wereoff and birding, er, cycling. There were the contenders, shifting positionslike so many Japanese Beetles maneuvering for your favorite rose. There wasthe impeccable precision, a few wipe-outs--all there, every time, in fact,that we tuned in for the grand Olympic Games. Jam-packed with adrenalin,valiantly vim and vigorous, the 1996 Olympic Games were delightfullydizzying, monstrously magnificent, giddyingly gargantuan, perfectlypatriotic, beautifully breathtaking. But there, friends, is where thesimilarities end.

Because the Olympics are over. Gone. Poof. Vanished, in the flap of awing.

As for the David Cup/McIlroy competitions, they've merely bounded over onemore hurdle. Unlike the fly-by-night fun-and-games of the Olympics, theDavid Cup is here to stay. Go ahead, gloat. You've trained hard for thisand now it's paying off. Cuppers have demonstrated the stamina to withstandSapsucker Woods in July, Montezuma in early August. They'll be no silvermedals here, we're going for the gold of a Golden Plover.

But don't be too hard on the Olympic athletes, though. They misguidedlythrew there lives away on more conservative sports--wrestling, boxing, thehammer throw. In fact, it's in their honor that the editors of The Cup bidyou partake of The Cup 1.7. No, it has nothing to do with winning favorwith the Olympic Committee so that the David Cup will be officially includedin the 2000 Olympic Games in Sidney. Why, we'd have to go birding inAustralia! We ask you to read on in the name of good sportsmanship, toprove that we can still be gracious, considerate, generous, even though oursport soars high above all the rest.

WELCOME TO THE DAVID CUP CLAN: Believe it or not, the David Cup WelcomingCommittee is still busy at the door. The latest to skitter in is one MaryCatherine Heidenreich, who said, "I mistakenly thought since I work inGeneva and live in Lyons that the Cayuga Lake Basin was out of my territoryso to speak, but I see from the map given in Steve K's web site that perhapsI am not so far away from it as I first thought. Looks like Montezuma iswithin the Basin--I go there quite often as well as to Waterloo, SenecaFalls and Clyde. Perhaps I could be of help with sightings or evenparticipate in one of those 'friendly' list competitions after all."Further, and more importantly, she had some kind words about The Cup, whichhas resulted in her acquiring prime real estate in this issue's Cup Quotes.Then there is Justin Childs, 10-year-old nephew to the Wells and cousin tofellow Temporary Cupper Sarah Childs. Justin, who hails from Maine, haslearned some important things during his two-week visit in Ithaca: 1)Cornell is a big, big school 2) Robert Treman Park is a fun place to swim 3)visiting nieces and nephews either go birding whenever the notion overtakestheir beloved auntie and uncle or else find themselves tied to the hood of aChevy Nova and catching mosquitos with their entire bodies from here toMyer's Point. Fortunately for Justin, he came at the end of July.

PRESIDENT CUPPER: Mary Catherine Heidenreich and Justin Childs weren't theonly ones trying to squeeze into the David Cup in this past month.President Clinton begged for admittance into the competition when hereleased a rehabilitated Bald Eagle into the air on the 4th of July, underthe guise of celebrating something or other at some fancy-pants militaryacademy in Annapolis, Maryland. Although he has gained some favor withthose Cuppers who don't yet have Bald Eagle for their lists, Maryland isjust too far outside the Basin for the tick, and Mr. President is still onlyat the threshold of the competition. Sorry, Bill, maybe next month.

STOP, THIEF!: Imagine Justin Childs' surprise when he opened the door on themorning of August 12 and came face to face with a cop--looking for his UncleJeff! No kidding! For all of an hour and a half, Cupper Jeff Wells was awanted man. His story is that after buying $5 worth of gas at a localconvenience store, he was in such a hurry to meet his wife at the Drydengarage where they were dropping off their "good" car, that he forgot to payfor the gas. Of course, if his story were true, why, then, was he overheardby Lab employees muttering, "I would have got away with it if it weren't forthat pesky clerk."

SPIES T: It didn't look good. Given the considerable drop in birdingactivity again this past month, we at The Cup didn't think we were going toget any tips about who was doing what in their David Cup T. But then ourspies happened upon Bill Evans at Purity Ice Cream a few nights ago. Bill,they tell us, was pointing what was first thought to be a gun at a few ofthe customers. Turns out, it was a microphone. Bill was apparently tryingto record a peculiar-sounding chip as part of his night migration recordingresearch. It wasn't until an angry customer shoved a two-scooper intoBill's left ear that he realized Mint Chip is a flavor of ice cream, not adescription of a night flight bird call. Bill temporarily lost his hearingin that ear, but at least his David Cup T was spared.

BIRD CUP BLUES: Karl David's no fool. He recently took his own adviceabout combining "family time" and birding by checking out the Cupper-ladenIthaca Ageless Jazz at Wagner Vineyards. There, he and his beloved Elainesampled not only the fruits of the vine but also, among other tasty jazzstyles, some steamin' blues. Here's Karl's obligatory report: "On Sunday,July 21, with my beloved Elaine in tow, I bravely drove out of the Basin tohear the Ithaca Ageless Jazz Band play for the crowd at the Alta B Festivalat Wagner Vineyards in Lodi. Of course, I was happy to see Jim Lowe, JeffWells and particularly Allison Wells on the bandstand, because (funny howsymmetry works) it meant they were out of the Basin, too. We merrypicnickers spread our blanket on the lawn, got out the food, bought somewine and settled back to let the mellow tones of Jim's trombone and Jeff'strumpet wash over them. But things really got hot during the second set,when the band's torch singer, Allison, got up to give her sizzling renditionof several avian favorites, including "I Can't Give You Anything butLovebirds, Baby" and "Making Whooper Swans". After the smoke cleared andthe set was over, we joined the band during its break and met Allison'scharming niece, Sarah, newest member of the David Cup clan. We were much toopolite to inquire after the state of her feet, she having just danced withJeff during the previous set, the damage of which beingwell concealed under the game face she had on. We parted on good terms; anyBlack Vulture or Mississippi Kite they wanted to see that close to theshores of Seneca Lake was OK by me. We left, happy we'd come ... but theband played on ." (And, as you'll find out in this month's Pilgrim'sProgress, so did Karl!)

Birding highlights for July in the Cayuga Lake Basin can be summarized byone word: shorebirds. The movement of shorebirds south from their breedinggrounds began early this year. Fifteen species of shorebird were reported inJuly in the Basin. The first sightings were made at MNWR during the firstweek of July. These included a Short-billed Dowitcher of the more inland andwestern subspecies, hendersoni, which was observed by several up throughJuly 18th. Also of particular note was the American Avocet observed by KarlDavid at Myers Point, and two Baird's Sandpipers again observed by Karl atMyers, a very early date for Baird's. It should be noted that probably allof the shorebirds observed in migration in July are adults. The juvenileswill begin to arrive in mid-August.

Now for a bit of controversy. About these Trumpeter Swans (4) seen at MNWRin July: where did these things come from? Some evidence suggests thatthese may be escaped birds from a local duck breeder. Evidently, there is afairly large private wildlife sanctuary north of MNWR, owned by one of thePyramid Mall developers. Trumpeter Swans were introduced there severalyears ago and a population of about 18 currently exists on this preserve.It is very possible that those swans appearing at the MNWR refuge are fromthis preserve. Unfortunately, thebirds do not appear to be banded (at least I did not see any bands on two ofthe birds), so there origins are difficult to trace. This may also explainsome of the other regional observations of Trumpeter Swans whose origins areundetermined.

EDITORS' NOTE: Trumpeter Swans have also been introduced by governmentofficials in Ontario, another possible source for these visitors. The ABArules, which the David Cup would follow in this case, say that an introducedspecies must be established for a certain number of years before it can becounted. The David Cup committee will work to clarify countability of theseswans by the next issue of The Cup.

(Steve Kelling is the field notes editor for the Kingbird, Region 3. Heteaches Cornell undergraduates the mysteries of physics and one day expectsthe outskirts of his property to be converted into a trailer park, overseenby his son Sam.)

Before you all get too worried about why Tom Lathrop is still on the wrongside of the 100 Club wall, let us assure you that at least now we know why:his directions to the Club are kaflooey. For example, let's say he needs togo out and get groceries. Tom, who lives in Rochester, has been heading offon St. Paul Boulevard to the nearest Wegman's, in the heart of the city.What he should be doing is taking Route 390 to the thruway (I-90),continuing east to Montezuma, stopping at the main pool tower only longenough to scope the waterfowl there, then bird-cruising the autoloop,followed by a careful scan of May's Point Pool, zooming off on Route 89 toRoute 105 to the Savannah Mucklands for a shorebird check, then motoringback to the thruway to Route 390 to St. Paul Boulevard to the nearestWegman's. If Tom did these simple directions every time he had an errand torun, he'd be not only in the 100 Club but the 200 Club as well. Tom, stopmaking this so hard for yourself. Hurry up and get in here--and bring somemore Molson, will you?

200 200 200 200 200 200 2 0 0 200 200 200 200

It was a real challenge getting Jay McGowan into the 200 Club this month.Not because Clubbers didn't want him in there. Au contraire! They couldn'twait to see what kind of cake he'd baked for the occasions. It was his dad,Kevin, that was blocking the door. Kevin, who quit his job DJ-ing over atthe 100Club for the superior CD players at the 200 Club, was a littlenervous that the blues he's been playing here were a too risque' for hisson's tender ears--until Jay flatly reminded his dear old pop that it's thesame exact music he hears at home, 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days ayear. At least when his mom's not home.

All that, though, came after the Rite of Passage, which all 200 Clubcandidates must endure (see The Cup 1.5). What was Jay's test ofendurance?:

--posed as a Stilt Sandpiper for three days in the hot sun at Canoga BaitPonds. NOTE: Jay got extra credit for successfully convincing at least onebirderof his authenticity. Cupper Ralph Paonessa recently reported StiltSandpiper to Cayugabirds-l.

Bird 200: Great Egret

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< PILGRIMS' PROGRESS >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>"It doesn't matter if you win or lose, or how you play the game, as long asyou're in the David Cup race." --Allison Wells, The Cup 1.2 (March,1996)

"It doesn't matter if you win or lose, or how you play the game, as long asyou're in the David Cup race...until you get bumped off by some pun-loving,pseudo-feminist birding macho man."

EDITORS' NOTE: Some totals include Trumpeter Swan; others do not (Karl's,Allison's, Jeff's). Their's is not a political statement meant to influencewhether or not the swans should be counted, but rather a way to offer hopeto those of you counted but are still dragging behind.

We in the David Cup have become quite worried about Karl. His slackerapproach to birding has been increasing these last few months, and now he'sreally become a peep on a log. Has anyone told him that twice a day at MyersPoint, weekly trips to Montezuma, that this just doesn't cut it? Karl, ifyou're listening, please, start putting in some SERIOUS birding time. Forheaven's sake, you work at Wells College in Aurora, you're halfway toMontezuma, you should be spending your lunch hour there! Any of the rest ofus would, you know. And have you considered pre-breakfast "family time"with Elaine at Stewart Park? Good Glory, you're just up the hill from thelake! Look, we'll run your Leader's List this month, but please keep inmind that if you really want to win this thing, you're going to have tostart working for it.

What better way to prove that you deserve the title "Father of the Madness"by being featured in an interview exclusively for The Cup? KICKIN' TAILbrings well-deserved honor and recognition to the Cupper who has glassed,scoped, scanned, driven, climbed, dug, sleep-walked and otherwise madehis/her way to the top of the David Cup list.

At long last, Karl David, as in David Cup, is the whipped cream on top ofmany Sundays of birding. Herewith, his chance to gloat, advise, enlighten,and most importantly to him, to pun till his heart's content. WARNING: somepuns may not be appropriate for ages 31 and younger.

THE CUP: Okay, Karl, this monster, the David Cup, is named after you, yetit's taken you till the lousy month of August to make it to the top. Forthat, the rest of us deserve to know: WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?

DAVID: While other boys were discovering girls, I was discovering ...math. I didn't have a serious girlfriend until I was 24, and I didn't get marrieduntil I was 29. I'm a slow starter ... but look out for my finishing kick!

THE CUP: Perhaps we should ask Elaine about that? Maybe not. But sincewe're already talking pressure to perform, tell us, has being irrevocablycrowned "Father of the Madness," forced you to carry the burden to excel?

DAVID: I don't know if I was kidding anyone, besides myself, when Ipublicly proclaimed that my efforts last year had exhausted me and that Iwould just be sitting back bemusedly to watch the fun this year. Actually,I might have fooled Scott Mardis (see his Kickin' Tail interview, The Cup1.4), but probably no one else. I really did hold to my resolve for awhile, and it shows in the fact that I missed Ross' Goose and Glaucous Gullearly on as a result of rather desultory efforts to find them. But I thinkthe fatal corner was turned when Steve and Tom found the Saw-whet Owl inCanoga. I missed it last year, and once I got it there was no turningback.

THE CUP: Yes, and that commitment came through in a big way in your Coach'sCorner last month. Come to think of it, did being last month's Coach haveanything to do with your victory this month?

DAVID: Of course. If you reread the column, you'll see how I lulled theleader into complacency by implying that Great Egret was just about the onlyyear bird you could reliably expect for the month. Was that prophetic,or what?

THE CUP: Prophecy is in the eye of the beholder, and I've got a few of thoseof my own. But I won't go into them now. Instead, why tell us about any lifebirds you've gotten in the Basin this year?

DAVID: The closest to a life bird in the Basin has been Trumpeter Swan.Otherwise, there's only the Tufted Duck in Rochester in January. So many ofus went to see it, I understand Rochester Harbor is being declared anofficial Basin enclave for this year only. I certainly hope so, since itwould also give me Glaucous Gull.

THE CUP: You mean Ralph Paonessa's inflatable Glaucous Gull? Oh, that'sright, it wasn't a Glaucous Gull it was a Ross' Goose. Any new Basin birds?

DAVID: New Basin birds for me this year are American Avocet, Marbled Godwitand Hoary Redpoll.

THE CUP: You mean the Stenzler's lifelike hand-carved Hoary Redpoll? Idecided not to count that and you shouldn't count it, either. By the way,how does the amount of time you've spent birding this year compare to yearspast?

DAVID: I'm in heavy denial on this one.

THE CUP: You should make an appointment with my therapist, Dr. Birding N.Lovinit [see The Cup 1.6]. I'll give you the number after the interview.Anyway, you were saying?

DAVID: Let's call it "comparable" or "same order of magnitude" and notquestion what that means too closely. Please.

THE CUP: I think we all know darned well what that means. Which leads to mynext question. We know from your Bird Brain feature [see The Cup 1.1] thatyou're into statistics. Can you give us some of your interesting personalbirding stats?

DAVID: For a few years after moving to Ithaca and checking Myers Pointregularly, I thought I was onto something concerning Sanderling arrivaldates for the year: they were all concentrated in a very narrow windowaround the end of July (and indeed, recall the two that were present on July31 this year). But this pattern broke down the last couple of years, as Istarted to also get them in the spring and again in early July. A patternthat may mean more is that all of my spring arrival dates for Double-crestedCormorant in the 90's are earlier than all such dates for the 80's. Butthen again, as someone pointed out when I posted this observation, it maywell just represent expected random "noise" in the system. Collect enoughdata and anomalies HAVE to manifestthemselves eventually. A similar seeming paradox concerns the sighting ofunusual birds: others are right to be skeptical of any particular suchclaim;on the other hand, a list compiled over many years that had no unusualbirdson it would in itself be most unusual. You can't predict which accidentalspecies will occur in a given year, but you can predict that some three orfour will in fact occur.

THE CUP: What's your favorite color?

DAVID: The beautiful charcoal gray on the upperparts of a LesserBlack-backed Gull or the tail bands of a Merlin.

THE CUP: I wouldn't know, I haven't seen either yet this year. But I don'tsuppose I need to remind you of that. So you think you can stay on top?Oh, don't worry about being gracious. This is The Cup, remember.

DAVID: I may have a tough decision to make come September: go for the win, or take my job seriously. Unfortunately for me, I'vebeen drafted to chair the major personnel committee this year.

DAVID: My competitors need to pray for lots of political infighting atWellsthis fall. Connecticut Warblers will be hard to spot in the shrubberyoutside the emergency meeting room windows, but that doesn't mean Iwon't be trying (only during the coffee breaks, of course).

THE CUP: Of course. You know, for the June issue you wrote a Scrawl of Famewhere you almost pulled off a pro female-as-Kickin'-Tail-leader performance.Don't you think it's a little hypocritical to just push that fragile womanaside with that evil "ha!ha!ha!" you've been cackling all over the Basinever since?

DAVID: Gee, I thought that was a very penetrating analysis I gave for theScrawl of Fame, the main thrust of which may be destined one day to becalled "seminal" in the emergent femi-birding literature. The way I see it,the former leader needed a gentle, nurturing reminder that she's not homefree for the year just yet. As a teacher of young women, it's my job toinspire them to reach for ever-greater heights. Sometimes you can only dothat by showing off a little yourself. But I agree with you, it's hard tobe seen as soaring like an eagle when you're cackling like a rooster allover the Basin. I'll try to be more subtle.

THE CUP: Thank you. And by that I presume you mean we won't be interviewingyou for Kickin' Tail next month. But before you go, can you tell us, whatis the meaning of life?

DAVID: To give you hope that in your next incarnation, you'll be a bird.

THE CUP: Wow! Now here's that phone number I promised--Karl? Hey, Karl!(We're talking HEAVY denial...)

The editors of The Cup, through statistically significant birding polls andby decoding slurps made by Cuppers sipping iced mochaccino, have determinedthat recognition is in order for the Cupper who has braved wind, rain, ice,and snow in a quest for new David Cup birds for us all to enjoy. Equallyweighty in this award category is prompt notification to other Cuppers ofsaid sightings, be it via e-mail, phone line, dramatic hand signals, or byspelling it out on a Scrabble board.

We, the editors of The Cup, hereby bestow July's Pioneer Prize to KarlDavid. Karl set an excellent example this month for other Cuppers byproving that July is worth birding. At least, that Myers Point is. Atleast, in the wee hours of morning, when everyone else is just dropping offto dreamland after a sleepless night battling stifling heat.

Karl, your devotion to the sport--and rip-roaring desire to be Kickin' TailKing once and for all--have paid off for you. In honor of your AmericanAvocet, Baird's Sandpipers, and minute-by-minute Myers shorebird reports, aprestigious David Cup Pioneer Prize Pencil goes to you, this time, in tealBLUE! (By the way, we appreciate your prompt notification, but next timeyou find something unusual, would you please tether it down so the rest ofus can see it, too?)

: > : > : > : > : > : > : > CASEY'S CALL: > : > : > : > : > : > : >

PHOTO NOT AVAILABLE

Make that, "Casey's Call is on a one-month hiatus. Look for itnext month, in The Cup 1.8"

(Casey Sutton, who initiated and writes this column on his own, will be aseventh grader this fall at DeWitt Middle School. He is currentlyunavailable for comment.)

He was our very first fearless leader, and our third fearless leader, and astrong David Cup contender every month since and in-between. Allison has infact been peering over her shoulder at him, trembling with panic, sincemoving into medal contention, which, needless to say, enabled Karl David tostride in closer to the gold and push her back to silver. But don't thinkfor a minute that Tom is out buying a new wardrobe to go with a bronzemedal. No, he may be this month's Coach, but he's also a player. Here's theadvice he's giving himself on how to go for the gold:

COACH NIX: Those of you who have kept up with the progress of the David Cupcompetition may be wondering, why take advice from one who after good start,has steadily fallen behind the leaders? Ah, yes! Good point, but you see,this could be precisely the right place to be. In a maneuver something like"drafting" in a bicycle race (the tactic of staying close behind thecompetitor ahead of you to lessen wind resistance and thereby save energy),one could shadow the David Cup leaders, letting them break trail and do theheavy lifting. The problem is you have to get up pretty early in themorning to shadow Karl "the Father of the Madness" David--see how he scoopedus all with an avocet (!) at Myers Point while we were all still decidingwhat cereal to have for breakfast? Or note how recent front runner AllisonThe Editor Wells made her move during torrential rains back on InternationalMigration Day while wimps sought shelter and the pros sought Jersey glory?

Finding the leaders in August will be easy--by day, they'll all be atMontezuma. For in August, the trickle of shorebirds heading south swellsinto a river, and if there is going to be any stopover habitat forshorebirds in the Basin, 99% of it will be at the wildlife refuge at thenorth end of the lake. As many as 25 species of sandpipers and plovers maybe seen at Montezuma in the month of August, and there is always thepossibility of a real rarity such as the Ruff found last year by the EditorsWells on August 21. In recent years, the refuge managers have lowered waterin Mays Point Pool in mid-August to create that vast mud flat perfect forsuch sought-after species as Stilt Sandpiper, a couple of phalaropespecies, Black-bellied and Golden Plovers, and the long-winged peepsandpipers, Baird's and White-rumped. And tick your Short-billed Dowitcherthis month; by September they may be gone for the year, being replaced byLong-bills.

On the way to and from Montezuma, be sure to check the spit at the endof Salmon Creek in the Lansing Town Park in Myers. It's tiny, but it's a bitof habitat and produces more than its share of rarities. And on the eastside of the lake are the Canoga Bait Ponds along side Seybolt Road inCanoga. From the north, turn west off Route 89 to Cemetery Road and thenleft on Seybolt. From the south, turn west at the main intersection, justpast the old diner, right in beautiful downtown Canoga. Respect the postedsigns. When one of the ponds alongside the road has been drained, birds canbe quite close to the road.

To my mind, perhaps the most beautiful group of birds, shorebirds, giveyou the opportunity to slow down--slow way down--get small and look at thedetails. We're talking individual feathers here. Are the scapular featherson that peep dark with chestnut fringes or chestnut with dark fringes?Makes a difference. It's the opposite of looking at warblers, where you geta second or two to absorb the color pattern of the little guy. Withshorebirds you get to, you've got to, study them for long periods of time,checking every detail. It reminds one of why we look at birds.

Check the sky, too, since we're still waiting for that first Peregrine,and during the last weeks of August the nighthawks will come through. Watchfor returning terns and dispersing egrets. And speaking of looking up, onnights with favorable winds, check out the night sky for night-flyingmigrants. After a day of scanning the flats of Montezuma, relax at theobservatory on Mt. Pleasant Road. It can be a wonderful place, if a bitfrigid at times, to listen for the flight calls of say, Grey-cheekedThrush (a bird that I for one missed in the spring). Land bird migration hasalready begun, bringing the chance to start picking up, this month and thenext, those migrants missed in May. Its a little too early for PhiladelphiaVireo, but warblers have been reported on the move already.

OK, you got it? The July halftime rest is over, and things are gonnastart hoppin' again. We're a little behind, but if we can just stay closewe have a good chance to catch them at the finnish line. Montezuma by day,Mt. Pleasant at night! Let's go!

(Tom Nix is the Building Inspector for the City of Ithaca. In the recentpast, he moonlighted as a hawk watcher while putting roofs on houses.)

mmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmm McILROY MUSINGS mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmm

Allison recently learned that her beloved spouse followed through on histhreat to publish limericks and other verse submitted by fellow Cuppers to"honor" her continued McIlroy reign. Who'da guessed that Cuppers chase notonly birds but also their muse? One was even good enough to warrant, aspromised, a David Cup Poetry Pencil! However, all poems will be publishedhere. Allison, enjoy!

"The Tick King" "All Were Racin'"

By Ralph Paonessa By Kurt Fox

"There once was a girl who went ticking. "Birding in the Cayuga Basin The men in pursuit took a licking. McIlroy runners all were racin' Her husband serene 'Allison's tops,' they allwhined, Said she still is his Queen 'seems like the only bird she But the Queen again rules as the Tick King!" couldn't find was an Albatross they called "The Fervent Lister" Layson."

By Karl David "The Race" (A Haiku)"A fervent lister, Allison Watched her yearly tally run By Ralph Paonessa Toward that hope for nifty score Of two hundred fifty-four, "ChasingWhilst goading Jeff with: 'Rally, hon!'" After Allison I fall down Face first In the mud. 'Mmmph!'"

And the Pencil goes to: Ralph Paonessa! Ralph's word play was exceptional,crowning my wife both Queen and King, and getting that all-important word,"ticking" in twice without sacrificing subtlety. Now if I can just convinceAllison to let me into her stash of David Cup Pencils...

"Birding is an addiction. That's what sets it apart from birdwatching. Thebirder *has* to watch birds." Only the voice of experience could be behindsuch a bold statement, and anyone who knows Ken Rosenberg will not besurprised that it was he who uttered it. Ken's "addiction" has led him tomost of the finest birding spots in North America and beyond and has clearlyoutlined his life's work since an early age. How many of us can boast aNorth American list of more than 600 species and a lifelist of more than1500?

Ken began birding while most of us were learning to differentiate mashedpotatoes from carrots. "I remember birds I saw when I was three," he says.Ken's father was (and still is) a birder but Ken was the only one of thethree boys that caught the birding addiction so young. Later in life, Ken'sbrother Gary also started birding and is now a well-known bird tour leader.But it was Ken who first learned to juggle his heavy binoculars on hisfather's birding forays to sites near their Long Island home and who reveledin the many species he would see while on the family's summer road tripsthroughout the U.S. and Canada. Since those early days, Ken has birded invirtually every state and province of North America including Alaska andHawaii, most of Mexico, Costa Rica, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil.

Like many aspiring ornithologists, Ken was drawn to Cornell University afterhigh school. Although at that time he didn't have the McIlroy Award toinspire him, Ken birded much of the campus and town on foot. He remembersfinding a Yellow-throated Warbler in Buttermilk State Park and a Red-headedWoodpecker along Fall Creek. One May day in 1976 was particularlymemorable: "I didn't have a car, so I would go on long, all-day bird walks.This day I left my apartment on Aurora Street, hiked up South Hill then cutdown through Lick Brook gorge to Cayuga Inlet. I had just made it to therailroad tracks when I got caught in a freak snowstorm. In the midst of thehail and snow I heard a buzzy song and looked up to see my life CeruleanWarbler singing from the top of Sycamore."

From Cornell Ken went on to Arizona where he completed his Master's degreeand wrote a book, "The Birds of the Lower Colorado River Valley," based onhis and others many years of field work in the region. Trips to Mexico thathad begun during school breaks at Cornell continued increasing Ken'sinterest in birds of the neotropics. This interest eventually led Ken toLouisiana State University, the country's leading neotropical ornithologicalresearch institution, where he completed his Ph.D. studying dietrelationships of birds in Peru. As a matter of fact, Ken's favorite birdinglocation is still the Tambopata Reserve in the rainforests of southern Peruwhere he did most of his dissertation research. "I spent up to five monthsthere at a time and with over 500 species occurring in the area, almostevery day I saw something new."

Ken was drawn back north to the Cayuga Lake Basin when he became the ChiefScientist in the Bird Population Studies Department at the Lab ofOrnithology in 1994. Since then Ken has become a fixture in the Basinbirding scene, and the captain of the Lab's World Series of Birding Team,the Sapsuckers. When asked how it feels to participate in the World SeriesKen responds with characteristic enthusiasm. "I live for it. I lookforward to it all year. I love going to New Jersey, the competition, theguys on the team. And the thought of doing it to raise $70,000 for the Lab.It can't be beat!"

Recently Ken has taken on a new position at the Lab as Northeast RegionalCoordinator for Partners In Flight. In this role, Ken will help draftregional bird conservation plans and assist in coordinating conservationactivities among states. With all this bird conservation work ahead of him,Ken is glad to have the David Cup/McIlroy Award Competition to give him anexcuse to go birding and, he adds, "It's great to have everyone else outthere covering the Basin and seeing what's out there even when I can'tget out."

Now that Ken has convinced wife Anne to participate in the competition, manyhave asked how long before he throws his not-yet-two-year-old daughterRachel into the fray as well. As he sees it, he won't have to force Rachelto become a birder. "She's got great ears and quick eyes and spots birdsall the time. I figured out that she can identify 15 species includingseveral by ear--she's 20 months old." Such is the life of a parent.

Because birders suffer so many unique trials and tribulations--and with theadded strain of intense competition brought on by the David Cup/McIlroyAward--The Cup has graciously provided Cuppers with a kind, sensitive andintuitive columnist, Dear Tick, to answer even the most profound questions,like these...

DEAR TICK:

While cruising through town recently I saw an eagle ornamenting the hood ofa very expensive-looking car. The eagle was of a material that lookedgolden. In other words, it was a Golden Eagle. Can I tick it off on mylist?

--Cruising Through Life in IthacaDear Cruising:

No, because it wasn't a Golden Eagle, it was a gold eagle. Besides, what areyou doing out cruising the streets? That's a good way to get into trouble.Since you're already cruising for a bruising in the David Cup, I suggest youpark it and throw away the key.

DEAR TICK:

I've read about and been fortunate enough to see a few hybridwarblers. I was wondering if other birds hybridize. In particular,I was wondering if swans do. Suppose a Mute Swan and a TrumpeterSwan were to mate and produce offspring. I imagine they'd look like"swans," but I was wondering what type of vocalization the offspringwould make. Do you think it would have a jazzy tone to it, sinceit's a muted trumpet? I'm always interested in new sounds...

--Charlie "Bird" P. At Myer's P.Dear Charlie:

If you're into new sounds, try listening to the sound of your hands pickingup your binoculars instead of scribbling out perverted questions like thisone. On the other hand, if it's jazz you want to be listen to, check outthe Ithaca Ageless Jazz Band [see News, Cues, and Blues this issue].They're playing on the Commons on August 22.

DEAR TICK:

With the movie "Independence Day" breaking all sorts of records, I've beenthinking a lot about UFOs. Most people who see them swear they'respaceships belonging to little green men and Ken Rosenberg. If they may beso blatant in their claims, can't I by insisting the UFOs I see aremigrating birds I need for my David Cup list?

--Spaced Out in Seneca Falls

Dear Spaced Out:

Leave Ken out of this.

DEAR TICK:

Recently a Cupper posted to Cayugabirds-l and was wondering ifone should "count" the Trumpeter Swans seen at Montezuma. The postseemed to indicate that wild escaped or released birds and theiroffspring might not be countable. Now, this Cupper is "up there" intotals? In fact, I be- lieve that a Cup was named after this person(coffee?, tea?, Americas?, well, for simplicity we'll call the Cupper"Stanley"). I'm wondering if Stanley has not been ticking off specieslike Starling, House Sparrow, Pheasant, Mute Swan, etc., because theyare not native. If so, isn't Ol' Stan getting a bit ridiculous? Also,how are "unwashed masses" of Cupdom, like myself, ever supposed toget half-way decent totals if Starlings, etc., aren't tickable? IsStanley off his rocker? Is he a cuckoo? Dan (also writing for Jan and Fran, but not Stan) in Lan(sing)Dear Dan, etc.:

I have no idea who the "Stan" fellow is. Unless you can be more specific asto his identification, I'm afraid I'll have to withhold my ruling.

DEAR TICK:

I'm new to this Cupper thing, but I've heard my uncle and aunt use the word"glass' sometimes when they talk about seeing birds. Like, "I've got aGreen Heron in the glass." They also have drinking glasses with birdsprinted into them. Can't I count them for the David Cup and McIlroycompetitions? When I'm drinking out of one these glasses, I can honestlysay, "I've got a Scarlet Tanager in the glass."

--Troubled About Tanagers in SapsuckerWoods

Dear Troubled About Tanagers:

It all depends on what you're drinking out of the glass. For example, grapeKoolaid renders the color of a Scarlet Tanager to a more purple hue. A lessexperienced birder might then confuse the tanager with a Purple Finch, oreven a Purple Gallinule. Even ordinary water can cause distortion of bodyshape and bill characteristics. Your Scarlet Tanager could easily end uplooking more like a Whooping Crane. By the way, may I suggest you buy youraunt and uncle an attractive set of plastic cups? They don't break aseasily, and you won't feel as though you should be out birding every timeyou get a drink.

(Send your questions for Dear Tick to The Cup, care of Jeff's e-mail.)

""""""""" CUP QUOTES """"""""

"Great job on the Cup. I really enjoy reading its funny although sometimesobscure notes, quotes, etc. 'Dear Tick' is a lot of fun, and being a newbirder I really enjoy Casey's column. Thanks, Casey, for the info. Ilearnsomething new every time I read it! And Allison, keep up the good work! I'mrooting for you!" ---Mary Catherine Heidenreich

"I just had to see some shorebirds this weekend. But where? Bombay Hook?Flooded by Bertha. Churchill? Been there, done that. Montezuma? No luck.Morehouse Bait Ponds? Yes! Site 59B Near Canoga in "Birding in the CayugaLake Basin" (directions below) produced 8 species of shorebirds in one spoteasily seen from the road." --Ralph Paonessa

"The spruces at the end of the road (bordering the large fields) were chockfull of blackburnians today." --Jim Goodson

"Today during lunch time Mundy was screaming with birds...I sawfamilies of titmouses (at least 8 youngsters), Downy Woodpeckers (5of them-- 3 youngsters and parents), House Wren family, Scarlet tanager(all the 3 youngs were yellow), Red Eyed Vireos feeding their fledglings.It looked like as if there was a family picnic to Mundy." --Meena Haribal

"The Acadian Flycatchers are still present on Salmon Creek Road but a fourhour trek through the rainy woods in West Danby on Saturday with ChrisHymesdid not yield any Worm-eating Warblers." --Jeff Wells

"In case you guys were wondering who that clown yelling toyou last Sunday as you turned onto Myers Road was, it was me."

--Larry Springsteen

"I can't stand it!!! What are the July standings in the Cup of Davidand theAward of McIlroy competitions!????!!??!? I am going insane with the wait!Theese eese like thee Chayneese watere torture!!!"

--Peter Lori Keet

"From the Main Pool Tower, I watched the swans and confirmed the fieldmarks of Jay and Kevin at quite a long distance."

--Tony Ingraham

"The only bird I've seen crunching a Japanese beetle was a mockingbird.How come there aren't hordes of birds feasting on the poor roses thathave as many as six beetles on a flower? Maybe they taste yucky, or are tootough?" --John Greenly

"I see I was excoriated in this month's Cup [1.7] for not joining thecompetition. I don't know my totals for the year, but I'll bet I wouldn'teven be in the 100 Club-I haven't been around the lake or up to MNWR allyear!"

--Anne Kendall-Casella

"Prepared to identify the swans, and shorebirds and justabout anything else, I came to MNWR full of vim and vigor. But,alas, there were few birds. No swans, no shorebirds - minus fiveKilldeer, no Sedge Wren, no bitterns, no BCN Heron, not even a BaldEagle." --Kurt Fox

"I humble myself with mutterings and mumblings of half-hearted apologies."

--John Bower

"At that point Tom Nix, Jeff and Allison Wells, and Allison's nieceSarah cameup and scared all the good birds away, so we had to switch our attentionoverto the UFO in the eastern sky that turned out to be Jupiter (complete withmoons)."

--Kevin McGowan

"It is interesting how ephemeral the birds are on Myers Point.Through the day I had heard that there were Bairds SP (3), Black-belliedPlover, Semipalmated Plover, Spotted Sandpiper. None of which were therewhen Ken and I were." --Steve Kelling

"I was at Myers Pt at some point after Karl David was this morning.The shorebird concentration had rocketed up to one Killdeer by 11:30."

--Larry Springsteen

"My David Cup total is now up to 93 species. Maybe I'll finally make itinto the 100 Club in August!" --Tom Lathrop

"No change in my totals. Haven't been in the basin in over two months. UntilSeptember." --Dan Scheiman

"Cup total for July is the same as June's total, which was the same asMay's,and which will be the same as August's. Unless I can count Kent Island,NB,and Idaho birds?" --Diane Tessaglia

"I never touched my binoculars in July so the totals arethe same as for June." --Jim Lowe

"Yes, Jay finally hit the big 200 (with a Great Egret at Myer's Point). Hedidn't want his 200th to be just any bird (he was afraid it was going to beLesser Yellowlegs). He had big hopes for it to be American Avocet, butsince Karl didn't put any salt on its tail, Jay had to settle for the egretthat had scared the avocet away. He was satisfied with the egret's level ofrarity." --Kevin McGowan

"Well, it's not quite the end of the month, but this may be it for thelast-minute Cup frenzy for me this month." --Karl David